I've decided to give up writing.

It's been a long time since I have posted anything here. However in the past couple of days I have been thinking and decided to give up writing.

Any further writing I do will be strictly for my own amusement and I will only post it in very rare cases.

Why would I do that when normally I enjoy writing. It's simple really. I have found that when I write or even talk of events in my life there are some people who swear those things do not happen. Perhaps I am senile and imagining what has happened in my life. Repeating myself several times does not help.

So for those of you who did enjoy those things which I in the past I chose to write thank you.I had considered writing a set of memoirs or perhaps an autobiography. However since I'm apparently not qualified too as I don't know what I have done ie that doesn't happen. I won't be writing such a thing or anything else of any kind of personal historical items at all. After all it is not like am writing so descendents to know what my life was like as I have none. From a Darwinian point of view I am a complete failure. My genes have not been passed on. Whatever I was or was not passes on when I do.

Once again thanks to those who did enjoy what little writing I did and may have found any use in it.

Sid

Proust Questionaire

A friend sent this to me and I found it very interesting in helping me examine myself. I'd recommend it to anyone. When I got it I had expected it would take a long time to answer. Was surprised when my response completed was sent back only about 20 minutes later. Think the main thing was to be honest, makes for quick and revealing answers.

MARCEL PROUST was a French writer who believed that people must know and understand themselves before they could know or understand others. He developed a list of subjective questions that he felt would help reveal to people their true selves and the inner personalities of those around them.


Respond to the questions in any manner you choose, briefly or at length. The point is to be honest with yourself. Some questions may require a few minutes of reflection, but many are best answered by recording the first thought that enters your head.



WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR?

That John Lennon was right and there is no heaven. Get there or not it's a worthy Goal.


WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT STATE OF MIND?

Hopeful but with challenges to be over come.



WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OCCUPATION?(WAY OF SPENDING TIME)

Enjoying a good movie or television series I missed while growing up


WHAT HISTORICAL FIGURE DO YOU MOST IDENTIFY WITH?

Hannibal Barca


WHICH LIVING PERSON DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?

My Father


WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE FICTIONAL HERO?

Mike the Computer in Heinlein's " The moon is a harsh mistress "\



WHO ARE YOUR REAL-LIFE HEROES?

Father, Grandfathers, some of my military leaders, a couple VC winners I was Lucky Enough to meet. Save for Dad most now passed on



WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?

My Mind but there are times I think I've lost or at least misplaced it.



WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU HAPPIEST?

Teaching Climbing in Banff in 74 and studying it there in71



WHAT IS YOUR MOST OBVIOUS CHARACTERISTIC?

Can sometimes talk to much



WHAT IS THE TRAIT YOU MOST DEPLORE (HATE) IN YOURSELF?

Same answer as the one above this one.



WHAT IS THE TRAIT YOU MOST DEPLORE IN OTHERS?

Arrogance. I don't mind pride but Arrogance is false pride. I.e. I'm proud of being something I had no control over.



WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?

Collecting books and movies I like



WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JOURNEY?

I hopefully haven't made it yet, don't know where or when.



WHAT DO YOU MOST DISLIKE ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE?

I'm missing some front teeth due mostly to a childhood illness, However I wear a mustache and most people are not aware I smile with my eyes rather then grin. I find dentures uncomfortable and destroy the taste of food.


WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST OVER-RATED VIRTUE?

My Mind, I'm often given too much credit I don't feel is deserved. Sometimes I do deserve it but no one is on all the time.



ON WHAT OCCASION DO YOU LIE?

National Security or to avoid hurting someone's feelings. Not sure which is more important.



WHICH WORDS OR PHRASES DO YOU MOST OVER-USE?

Sorry



IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

If I did I would no longer be the me I now am. I would however like to no longer be ill, sick, disabled call it what you wish. I'd like to have my health back. Mental and Physical.\



WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?

Hopefully it has not happened yet.



WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE?

The mountains closely followed by the woods so in the woods in the mountains.


WHAT IS THE QUALITY YOU MOST ADMIRE IN A MAN?

Good manners


WHAT IS THE QUALITY YOU MOST ADMIRE IN A WOMAN?

Also Good manners



WHAT IS IT YOU MOST DISLIKE?

Bullies



WHAT DO YOU VALUE MOST IN YOUR FRIENDS?

Dependability within reasonable limits. I.E. Don't help me at cost to yourself of any significant amount.


HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO DIE?

1st choice in aid or defense of others. Second peacefully painlessly in my sleep, Owing no one and leaving something to others.



IF YOU WERE TO DIE AND COME BACK AS A PERSON OR AN ANIMAL, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE?

I don't think it would matter. Hopefully as something which could and would do some good in the world.

I

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE AN OBJECT TO COME BACK AS, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

The most useful inspirational book ever written ( yet to be written ) and of use to the most people


WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO (WORDS YOU LIVE BY OR THAT MEAN A LOT TO YOU)?

The motto's of the four scouting groups. Beaver's ( Sharing ), Cubs ( Do your Best ), Scouts ( BE PREPARED ), Rovers ( Service )From the song by Edith Piaf



WHO HAS BEEN THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON YOU?

Only easy question here. William Graham Tolland III, My Maternal Grandfather now passed on but never forgotten.

Sorry for the being last then prolific

I apologize for not writing lately. There is a reason. The computer I use for email and things like blogging is in a part of the apartment I don't Air Condition ( don't want to risk overload old wiring and I do air condition the other half of the place so I'm mainly catching up on old tv and movies I missed for various reasons growing up and working mostly afternoon shift. Some of the stuff I have found is from before I was born and I'm close to 60 ) In fact I estimate if I just watched the old stuff I have for 10 hours a day it would take me 2 years to watch it all ( you should see my DVD collection ) some very rare stuff I have had to find and download.

Anyway the heat here has been record breaking and persistent. July had 18 days with high temperature warnings ( usually accompanied by smog which really doesn't apply here, UV and Pollen count warnings ) If anyone does have to go out. Zinc Oxide is very cheap sells in the baby section for $2 a bottle or less and is the main ingredient in most sun blocks. By itself is SPF 100 it is what professional climbers use. If you don't know the SPF rating is the number of minutes you can spend in the sun before it is equal to one minute without any kind of sun block. You may notice in climbing movies about very high altitudes they have white under their eyes. That is thick Zinc Oxide as high up there is less atmosphere to have filtered out the UV. I once saw someone get 3rd degree burns in 20 minutes because he decided to get a tan not realizing how intense the UV was at 11,000 feet and having lots of it reflected back as well as we were surrounded by Glaciers.

So in a nutshell Zinc Oxide cheap, effective non toxic and also good for diaper rash.


Sid

About time right

It has been a long time since I blogged anything. I need to be in a decent mood to blog while I often have been those days I was not in the mood for writing. My apologies, I should write more. Today will be just be a few things. Things I do that I think make my life better and therefore should pass on. 1. A friend asked me what I used for inspiration and after mentioning the scriptures ( and they don't have to be from my own religion. In fact one of the tenants of my own religion is that is something is good it comes from God so make it your own ). However the topic changed and like the idiot ( or ID Ten T error which is if you take a look spells idiot just doesn't sound insulting. Till they get it and by then you usually get a laugh ) What I was trying to say as the friend mentioned not liking self help books in general was this. Get a book of quotations. The best one you can or even a few. Then go through it with a highlighter and mark any you think uplifting or useful under any conditions. I also like to collect military insults because there is much truth in them. My favorite is " Brechin, no one is totally useless you can always serve as a horrible example " This despite never placing less than in the top 3 on any course and once placing 1st nation wide. Two. pocket or belt for men purse. Get yourself the best multitool you can. If the knife blade does not lock cut it off and also carry a knife with a locking blade. a blade that can slip is very dangerous. For a woman they should be in a purse. Also for a woman if you think you are being followed open the knife and carry it. However a can of spray on deordorant is better than mace in the eyes. Soldiers are trained to ignore CS or CN gas CS is military grade tear gas CN is police grade. No one I know of can ignore the deodorant. Or carry a spice jar of the hottest spices you know of I include washabi the powder kind you can find in a sushi section plus hot powdered peppers label it hot wing spice and pour some in my hand. If needed throw in face very effective. Also not illegal anywhere ( mace is illegal in Canada except for the Army it has been replaced by pepper spray for the police except in riot situatons. Thats all for today Sid

Gross Domestic Product.

In these days of bank collapse, Nation's overburdened by debt I think we should for a side step and hopefully laugh.

I one got a friend Monogrammed toilet for Christmas. I feel this may well qualify as Canada's gross domestic product.

For the states like rubber dog poop.

for Scotland it may well be Haggis ( which is actually my favorite food.

So anyone got any other ideas for GDP for any country?

Science Future

A fall had a friend and I discussing changes in science in our life times. I mentioned my Dad who has trouble walking now has one of those buttons you wear around your neck. He has used it once when he fell and couldn't get back up. Think it was a case of most things in the bathroom are very smooth and he kept slipping. An ambulance was sent and they got him up and checked he hadn't injured himself.

We have all heard the expression " Help I've fallen and I can't get up " it's most often used as joke by people drinking. However not many know why the saying is well known. It was the first works spoken on the first 911 call. Back then you had to give your address etc. Now it appears on their screen before they can even answer. if you use a Cell phone even if you don't use gps the gps chip activates when you dial 911 and sends them your location. Don't worry if you can't speak keep the line open as an open line with no voice is top priority even ahead of someone who mentions murder. They assume you can't speak for any of a variety of good reasons.

However we spoke of what is to come. Many things which were science fiction when we were kids are not only common today but more advance then dreamed of then. I predict as the population ages and medical monitoring improves we may wear something like a watch which will monitor vital functions. Something goes wrong they may call you to tell you say blood sugar has gone high or low. Heart is too fast etc but if you hit a button or can't answer help may be sent. The funny looking belt buckles in the first Star Trek movie were supposed to serve that function you only know if you read the book they left it out of the movie but later series episodes had away team vitals monitored and beamed back if something happened. It's also in the new movie. At the start when the Captain beams to the Romulan ship the monitor his vitals.

The aging population is likely going to have devices we don't have now. A blood test can tell you sugar levels for months or if you have ever had a heart attack even if you didn't realize it. A device can measure antioxidant levels in your system a good indicator of Cancer risk. At the hospital blood oxygen levels are tracked with a laser led on your finger. I'm sure much more is to come and in time it will become first things we can track at home as I do my Heart rate and Blood pressure and blood sugar but something which will track them constantly. First something we can tell the doctor in time something which tracks us all the time and tells us something is wrong and what.

Just my view of some of the writ ting I see on the wall

Male Potpourri

The other day a friend and I came back from walking the dog and had picked up some dog treats. Coming in winter you tend to notice changes in scents more, my Mom always had a potpourri going. They tend to be floral but while nice isn't very masculine. When we opened the pack to give the dog a treat instantly the whole room was filled with the smell of bacon. It gave the two of us an idea. Aside from walking into a bakery one of the nicest smells is to walk in on the smell of home cooking. Now bacon treats at low levels are property of the dog. If something falls on the floor it's property of the dog. I think most folks with dogs tend to follow that custom. So how would one create a home cooking smell?

A tack and hanging a bacon scented dog treat like mistletoe does the trick lasts a few days which is longer than potpourri and when you take it down the dog still wants it. Only problem is so far Bacon is the only smell I have come up with. Have no desire for Tuna but if other ways to imitate home cooking or even better fresh baking can be done I'd love to hear your suggestions.